Area's top baseball teams hope to stay home for state

Marco Romero knows when he steps on the mound Saturday that his teammates will have his back.

Romero is schedule to start for Chiawana (14-9) in its first-round game in the 4A state tournament against Wenatchee in Spokane.

"We've been working really hard since we came out here in March," Romero said. "I just go out and throw strikes. When they hit the ball, I trust my guys."

State tournaments from 1B to 4A begin Saturday, with nine Mid-Columbia teams in action. Teams must win twice to reach the Final Four next weekend.

Also in the 4A bracket are the Richland Bombers (14-10), who will play Tahoma at 1 p.m. at Heritage Park in Puyallup.

The 3A bracket has Southridge (19-4) and Kennewick (17-6) in the same four-team pod at Pasco High School, meaning just one of them could advance.

The Suns, who placed second in state last year, will play Shelton at 10 a.m., while the Lions will take on Bainbridge at 1 p.m. The winners will meet at 4 p.m. for a spot in the semifinals.

The 3A and 4A semifinals and finals will be played next weekend at Gesa Stadium in Pasco.

At the 1A level, Connell (17-7) will take on Chelan at 1 p.m. at Larson Park in Moses Lake. College Place (19-3-1) and Kiona-Benton (15-8) are in the same grouping at Ferris High School in Spokane.

The Hawks will play Okanogan at 10 a.m., while the Bears get Freeman at 1 p.m.

The 2B tournament features Tri-Cities Prep (21-2), last year's state runner-up to Colfax, which could be the Jaguars' second-round opponent if they both should win.

Prep will open with Liberty Bell at 1 p.m. at Wenatchee High School.

Chiawana vs. Wenatchee

The Riverhawks enter the the game having won seven of their past nine games.

"No one expected anything from us," Chiawana coach Dave Price said. "We lost nine seniors from last year and returned four or five kids with varsity experience. This is good for the kids and the program.

"They are confident. They think they can play the Yankees right now. It has been such a fun ride for me and the coaches."

It has been somewhat of a magical year for the Riverhawks. They beat Walla Walla this season for the first time in five years, then did it twice more, including in the regional semifinals (12-4).

Chiawana has not played Wenatchee (15-7) this season, but Richland beat the Panthers 12-0 earlier this season.

"I like our chances," Price said, "but we have to show up on Saturday."

Price said he was a little concerned when the season started, having such a young group and missing sophomore catcher Riley Cissne early on with a shoulder injury. But the players have continued to impress.

"The biggest success of our season is our team chemistry," Price said. "We came together as a team, and they play for each other. We have 15-16 kids who will jump in a foxhole and go to war for each other."

Which says a lot for a group of guys who really didn't know each other three months ago.

"I was concerned," senior outfielder Braden Childs said. "We lost a lot of guys from last year.

"We didn't know much about (the younger players), but the sophomores have filled in the spots really well. We have come a long way."

And there is more work to be done.

"We have to win two to get to Gesa," Childs said.

Richland vs. Tahoma

The Bombers won two loser-out games to reach the Sweet 16, and they will have to be at their best when they play the Bears (20-3-1), who reeled off a 16-game win streak before dropping a 5-2 game to Puyallup last Saturday.

"We are playing some good baseball right now," Richland coach Grant Richardson said. "We have a great group of seniors; they get along well, they know how to have fun and they know how to win."

Shortstop Adam Weissenfels helped Richland win a 4A state football title in December, as did outfielder Josh Mendoza.

"Guys like Adam are natural leaders," Richardson said. "They set an example — something to strive for. You earn the respect of your teammates. It's always nice to have a guy like that on your squad."

Richardson said he is waiting for a sign from the baseball gods before he names a starter for Saturday's game.

Senior Caleb Richter and junior Taylor Johnson are his top choices.

"We are split as a coaching staff as to who it should be," Richardson aid. "Taylor has had two unbelievable outings lately. He threw a perfect game against Eastmont earlier this year."

Bombers third baseman Kyle Corrigan said the team is confident going into their game against Tahoma and likely facing ace Nick Dazell, who has a 0.50 ERA with 66 strikeouts in 42 innings, and is hitting .472.

"I think we have a good shot at winning," he said. "We scouted them and we know about their pitcher. Our offense is clicking right now, our defense is good and our pitching has been phenomenal."

The Bombers will leave Thursday morning and will make a stop at Interlake High school in Bellevue to practice on the turf field, which is what Richland will be playing on at Heritage Park.

"We see it a little bit in summer ball," Corrigan said. "It will be faster, but the hops will be true."

This story was originally published May 17, 2018 at 6:17 PM with the headline "Area's top baseball teams hope to stay home for state."